BackgroundDespite its commonality, there is a paucity of literature on miscarriage in non-Western societies. In particular, there is little understanding of how people ascribe cause to miscarriage. This research sought to gain an in-depth understanding of notions of miscarriage causality and risk amongst Qataris.MethodsThe study adopted an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach and collected data during 18 months of ethnographic research in Qatar, including semi-structured interviews. The sample includes 60 primary participants (20 pregnant women and 40 women who had recently miscarried), and 55 secondary participants including family members, health care providers, religious scholars and traditional healers. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Primary participants were interviewed in Arabic. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic approach, which involved identification and application of multiple codes to different text segments. Data were encoded manually and examined for recurrences across the data set. Similar quotations were grouped into subcategories and further categorized into main themes.ResultsA number of key themes emerged, revealing Qatari women attributed miscarriages to a number of factors including: supernatural forces, such as God’s will and evil eye; lifestyle, such as physical activities and consuming particular substances; medical conditions, such as diabetes; and emotional state, such as stress, and emotional upset. Resting, avoiding stress and upset, maintaining healthy diet, and spiritual healing (ruqyah) are seen as a means to avoid miscarriage.ConclusionPractices and beliefs around miscarriage are embedded in social, cultural, religious and medical frameworks. Understanding the socio-cultural context and understandings of explanatory theories can enhance health care providers’ understandings, resulting in improved communication and care.

Background Following a miscarriage many women report feeling guilty and culpable for what has happened particularly when aspects of societal blame and stigma are involved. This research investigated the impact of cultural context on the experience of miscarriage. In particular, it focused on how elements of stigma and blame are linked to notions of miscarriage etiology and risk among Qatari women. Methods The research used an ethnographic approach. The data was collected over 18 months of fieldwork in Qatar, using semi-structured face to face interviews, and participant observation. A purposive sample of 40 women (primary participants) who had recently miscarried, participated in the study. Potential subjects were initially identified in the Women’s Hospital and were consented, and then interviewed in Arabic either in the hospital or at their preferred location. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Additional key interviews were performed with 20 secondary participants related to the miscarriage cohort including family members and husbands. Inductive thematic analysis of content was performed manually to extract themes. Results Two main themes emerged from the material looking specifically at miscarriage aftermaths: rhetorics of blame, self-blame and feelings of guilt; and miscarriage attitudes. Overall society is sympathetic and miscarriage is seen as normal and not particularly worrying, but understood to be upsetting to women. However, findings suggest there is some ambivalence around blame, culpability and stigma applied to miscarriage; some participants perceived miscarriage as a relatively normal and common event, whereas, others felt that miscarriage is resounding stigma and shame. Conclusion Miscarriage aftermaths are embedded in social, cultural and religious frameworks in relation to notions of risk and causation. Attention should be paid to ensure women and those around them are given appropriate and robust information about miscarriage causation to deflect discourses of blame that may be employed and reduce harm to women who suffer miscarriage.

This paper explores emerging themes from the first stage of ethnographic research investigating pregnancy and loss in Qatar. Issues around the development of foetal personhood, the medical management of the pregnant body and the social role of the pregnant woman were explored. Findings suggest that Qatari women are expected to be calm vessels for their growing baby and should avoid certain foods and behaviours. These ideas of risk avoidance are linked to indigenous knowledge around a mother's influence on a child's health and traits. Motherhood holds a particularly important place in Qatari culture and in Islam and women are ultimately responsible for protecting and promoting fertility and for producing healthy children.

Background: Preeclampsia and eclampsia are two hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that significantly contribute to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Eclampsia is the occurrence of seizures in patients with preeclampsia without any previous history of seizure disorders. The incidence and prevalence of eclampsia varies, and there is scarce literature about the prevalence and trends of eclampsia in the Arabian Gulf countries. This study aimed to identify the incidence and changing trends of eclampsia in Qatar. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the only tertiary heathcare center in Qatar, and included all patients admitted with eclampsia from 1979 to 2017. The demographic data, maternal age, parity, gestational age, antenatal visits, timing of seizures, mode of delivery, treatment, maternal morbidity, and mortality were recorded. The study period was divided into the initial period of 1979–1988, 1991–2009, and the recent period of 2010–2017. Data analysis was performed using chi-square tests to identify trends among the three different periods. A p value of ≤ 0.05 (two-tailed) was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 151 patients with eclampsia were admitted with an increasing incidence of eclampsia over time. There was a statistically significant improvement in antenatal follow-up and an increase in the maternal age of patients with eclampsia (p = 0.001). The incidence of eclampsia without proteinuria increased significantly over time (p = 0.03). Postpartum eclampsia was more common (p = 0.002). Labetalol was the most frequently used antihypertensive agent (p = 0.001), and magnesium sulfate has been increasingly used as an anticonvulsant agent (p = 0.001). The rate of maternal morbidity was decreasing, and in the recent period, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome was becoming a common comorbidity in patients with eclampsia. Maternal mortality displayed significant improvement, reaching 0% in the recent study period (p = 0.02). Perinatal mortality likewise displayed a decreasing trend and reached 3.17% in the recent period. Conclusion: The incidence of eclampsia is increasing in Qatar. The antenatal care of patients with eclampsia has improved significantly. The medical management of patients with eclampsia has also drastically improved, leading to a significant decrease in maternal mortality and improvement in perinatal outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk of foetal loss attributable to amniocentesis and to assess the experience in technique, successful fluid aspiration in amniocentesis performed in our hospital Study Design: Medical record of 123 women who underwent amniocentesis between September 1996 till March 2002 were reviewed for indication, maternal, age, nationality, maternal age, parity, nationality, gestational age at procedure, physician operator, amniotic fluid reports and pregnancy outcome. Result: Within 30 days of amniocentesis there were tow (2.2%) foetal lossess, 91 patients (74%) for genetic amniocentesis, 32 patients (26%) Rh. Isoimmunization, 4 cases (3.2%) no fluid aspiration and in 10 patients procedure repeated one week later for successful aspiration. Conclusion: Amniocentesis-related total pregnancy loss rate was 2.2%. Successful aspiration of clear amniotic fluid increases with amniocentesis experience.